


Late Night Fears

by Morgana



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-20
Updated: 2013-05-20
Packaged: 2017-12-12 06:42:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/808495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morgana/pseuds/Morgana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fears always come creeping in in the middle of the night</p>
            </blockquote>





	Late Night Fears

Derek never saw it coming. By the time he realized what had happened, it was too late. He was already trapped, caught like a rabbit in a snare, and there was no hope of escape.  
  
He stared down at the boy that slept in his bed, wondering how in the hell this had happened. He'd always known exactly who he was and where he was going - he'd been a college student with a bright future and a (he'd thought) loving girlfriend, and then After, he'd been the brooding monster in the falling-down house, the one people whispered about and stared at when he went into town. None of this had ever been part of the plan, not Scott or the pack he'd somehow found himself with, not the way he'd been pulled into these children's lives or the battles he'd fought to keep them all safe.  
  
And that didn't even begin to cover Stiles, who had basically burst into his life and torn every plan he had to shreds with one lopsided grin after another.  
  
Stiles, who had somehow ended up being their very own wild boy, running with the wolf pack like he belonged with them. He was awkward and stumbling, utterly tactless and thoroughly charming, and from the moment he'd climbed into his father's cruiser and told Derek, in that quavering voice, how very not scared of him he was, they'd been headed right for this.  
  
It wasn't having a male in his bed that had Derek slipping out from under the covers to pace the floor. And it wasn't even his age - he might be young, but he knew his own mind. He'd been  _very_  clear about what he wanted, from the first kiss to everything that followed. It wasn't that he was human or that he could barely walk down a flight of stairs without hurting himself or that he was one of the bravest people Derek had ever met, either. No, the worry and fear that gripped him came from another place entirely.  
  
Stiles was starting to feel like home, to an uncomfortable degree. He seemed like home, and when Derek had pulled him close in the aftermath and buried his face in his neck, he smelled like home. It was ridiculous; home was a place, not a person. And even if it was a person, it wouldn't be a pale, skinny human boy with more courage than common sense. He told himself this, over and over again, but right now, in the middle of the night, it was hard not to just accept the truth: one way or another, Stiles had become his home.  
  
The thought terrified him. Derek knew what happened to homes, and it wasn't pretty. And as awful as losing his last home had been, the thought of losing this one, after only recently finding it, was unbearable. Maybe because this time he knew exactly how impermanent homes could be. When he'd lost his family, the shock of it all had blunted some of the sorrow, but now he knows it's coming. It's just a matter of when and where and how.  
  
He should leave. It's the right thing to do, break the boy's heart and send him away. Get him away from the werewolves and the supernatural creatures and the darkness and the pain. He knows it's what he should do, but he can't force himself to dress and walk out the door. Like a moth to the flame, he's drawn to him, and every time the fears drive him out of the bed, the lure of his young lover's warm skin and sleepy smile draws him back in. And just like tonight, when he slipped back into the bed and wrapped himself around Stiles, it was always the same. Every time, Stiles snuggled back against him and Derek was lost all over again.  
  
In truth, Derek had never stood a chance, not really. But he was starting to be okay with that.


End file.
